Page 91 of Her Lion of a Duke
She was as beautiful as she was when he lost her.
Leonard had returned Beatrice home safely, going unnoticed until the door opened. Her mother had then seen the carriage and insisted that he stay the night, to thank him for bringing her home.
He would have continued on his way, but they arrived at the early hours of the morning, and he did not want to disturb Cecilia’s family more than he was already going to, so he accepted the offer. He slept fitfully and then left once he had broken his fast.
When he saw Cecilia pale and shaken, all thought flew out of his head. He simply could not feel any of his anger, not anymore. All he wanted was to reconcile with his wife and take her home.
“Might we go somewhere private?” he asked, rain dripping from his hair.
“That would be best, yes, especially with?—”
He raised an eyebrow at her, and she looked to the side before taking his sleeve and pulling him to the stairs.
They went to her room and sat on the edge of her bed. Her hands were clasped in her lap, and she was looking at the floor. Leonard could sense that something was amiss, but he assumed it was the conversation they were about to have and nothing more.
“I have been thinking about what happened,” he began.
“As have I,” she murmured. “And I cannot believe how selfish I have been. I did not think of you, and I am ashamed of myself for that.I am your wife, and that means I am meant to support you and do what is best for our family.”
“And you have always done that. Cecilia, I am here to tell you that I have thought the same about what happened, that the fault lies with me. I let my pride get in the way of what we have, and I foolishly assumed that you had wanted to hurt me, even though you have never done that.”
She blinked at him, and he could not help but laugh. She had left, and they had spent time apart, and while that had seemingly been what they both needed to realize what they had done wrong, he wished that she had never run away from him.
“I have missed you terribly, you know,” he admitted. “Even when I was angry, I thought of you constantly.”
“I thought of you, too. I have wanted to come home since I arrived, but I did not know if that was what you wanted.”
“Of course it was. I did not want you to leave in the first place. I thought that you needed space, and when you did not come home, I was terrified. I wanted to give you time, but when Lady Beatrice called, I realized that I had to come and find you, whether you wanted me to or not.”
She took his hand and rested her head against his shoulder, bringing back that familiar warmth he had been missing. He knew that he had missed her while she was away, but even he did not know how much until he was reunited with her.
“So what happens now?” she asked.
“We will go home, and we will discuss how we will handle our disagreements next time, and all will be well. It will be better, in fact, because you and I will know what to do.”
She looked up at him with eyes full of trust, and Leonard knew that he would gladly spend the rest of his life maintaining that. He wanted her to be happy with him and to live the life she deserved.
He cupped her face, tilted her chin, and, without hesitation, kissed her. He did not do so gently, nor carefully, but like a mandesperate for the only thing that had ever made him feel alive: his wife.
The kiss was passionate but tinged with a tenderness that he was only capable of around his wife. She was startled for a moment, but then she leaned into him, kissing him back just as passionately.
When they finally parted, dizzy and breathless, he whispered against her lips, “I don’t want a perfect duchess. I wantyou. You are all that I have ever wanted, and I want—Ineed—you to come back to me.”
“I was never gone,” she replied softly. “I was only waiting for you to come after me.”
“And here I am,” he said as he rose to his feet, pulling her up with him. “Come. We will leave now.”
She took his hand, but then she hesitated.
“I cannot,” she mumbled. “I cannot come home yet.”
“Cecilia, I assure you that I am not angry with you.”
“I know, I know, and there is nothing I want more than to go home and be happy, but I cannot do that yet. There is something I must tend to here first.”
He tilted her chin up to him and saw the trepidation in her eyes. “Whatever it is, we can face it together. I am not going anywhere, Cecilia. Not without you.”
She crumbled in an instant.
